James McNeil Whistler

The
American painter James McNeil Whistler has been exposed
as an international arms smuggler. Historians had
previously believed that when he set sail from Britain
to South America in 1866 he was taking a break from his
mother, Anna, who had come to live with him and whom he
immortalized in his famous portrait Whistlers Mother.

But new research shows that he smuggled sea mines to
Chile to be used against the Spanish, who were
blockading their former colony. Whistler, then 31, was
paid 500 pounds to take the mines, known as torpedoes.
The Spanish retaliated against their use by bombing the
South American port of Valparaiso.

Glasgow University's center for Whistler studies
uncovered the painter's exploits while compiling 10,000
documents about him, to be published electronically in
2003 to commemorate the centenary of his death.
Professor Nigel Thorp, the center's director said, "Up
to now, several reasons have been given for his trip to
South America".

It has been said that he needed a break from his
mother, who came to London in 1863 to live with him.
Whistler was living with his model at the time, so a
number of arrangements had to be made. But, William
Michael Rossetti, the art critic, recorded in his diary
a conversation between Whistler and Frederick Sandys,
the artist, in which Whistler said he was taking off
with a cargo of torpedoes.

He had a number of contacts in the Confederate Army, and
the trip would have allowed him to see a different part
of the world. But I think it came down to the money in
the end. Letters stored at the Victoria and Albert
Museum confirm the story. One, written by Capt. Doty,
who hired Whistler for the trip, complains of his
behavior. Another, from the ship's captain, says they
were on a torpedo exhibition to Chile.

London Daily Telegraph

(The above story was printed in the Chicago
Sun-Times, July 17, 2001)

Scoterati

The following list is taken from Scotland on Sunday
dated April 1, 2001. Go anywhere and you'll probably
find a Scot, or a son of a Scot, or a daughter. The way
Scottish people work, think, eat, socialize and play has
helped shape the world.

The
Scottish Home is pleased to have four museum-type
portrait paintings on view for the public. They are: the
Angus MacBean portrait, the Robert Burns portrait, and
two portraits of a man and woman by John Collins. The
MacBean painting hangs in the living room across from
the fireplace. The Robert Burns portrait is in the
private dining room and the two portraits by John
Collins (1850-1934) are now on view in the main dining
room.

The portrait of Angus MacBean is an oil canvas, 38x48
with a 5" gilt wood frame. It was painted in 1743 when
Angus MacBean was 86 years old. The painting was loaned
to the Home in 1964 by Hughston McBain and was gifted to
the Home in December, 1966. Those of you acquainted with
our history know of the importance of Hughston McBain
both to the City of Chicago and our own Society. We are
not aware of how the portrait came into his possession.

Numerous individuals in Scotland have expressed interest
in the portrait and most recently a letter came
requesting information about the handle on the sword. In
1991, James Holloway of the Scottish National Portrait
Gallery gave some additional information. He says that
in 1938 the portrait belonged to Sir Malcolm MacGregor
of MacGregor whose address was Edinchip, Loch Earnhead.
“The painting was exhibited in that year at the Glasgow
Empire Exhibition in the Scottish Historical Pavilion.”
Mr. Holloway sees no reason to doubt “the traditional
identification of the sitter as Mr. McBean.” He
indicated that in 1743 very few clans had a fixed tartan
so he doesn’t believe that the pattern will confirm or
deny the clan of Angus MacBean.
Mr. Holloway further says: “The painting has been
attributed to Richard Waitt. That is wrong. Waitt had
died by 1743 and anyway the style is unlike his. It is
very difficult to suggest anyone else though there is a
portrait of Robert Grant of Lurg in the collection of
the Earl of Seafield which is quite like it in style.
Unfortunately that too is unattributed. The Scottish
Home portrait is of great interest and I am delighted to
know its whereabouts.”

Lewis Boyd spent considerable time on the history of our
portrait and he says in a letter dated September 19,
1991: “...with respect to condition, I’d mention that
the McBean portrait could do with cleaning (because it’s
very hard to make out the tartan pattern), stretching
and age-crack restoration.”

We recently received an email from Erik Wauters who
lives in Belgium. He wrote “on the battlefield of
Steenkerke (Low Countries, now Belgium) at the very spot
where the Scottish regiments fought on August 3, 1692, I
found a heart-shaped brass stud, identical to the one on
the belt worn by Mr. MacBean, as to be seen on the
portrait (dated 1743) in the possession of the Illinois
Saint Andrew Society.”

Marshall Field

In
1875, Marshall Field built his home at 1905 Prairie
Avenue. The house was designed by Richard Morris Hunt
and cost $2 million. It was said to be the first house
in Chicago to have electric lights. The outside was
somewhat plain in keeping with his desire not to appear
ostentatious, but the interior controlled by Mrs. Field
was sumptuous. There was a great circular staircase of
carved wood and a big hall clock built in 1793 that only
needed to be wound once a year.

“Every morning at a regular hour Marshall Field left his
home in his carriage for his store. But on arriving at
State Street, he would get out of the carriage a short
distance from the store and walk the rest of the way. He
thought it both bad taste and bad business to arrive at
work in a fancy carriage with a coachman on the box.”

In
1886, Mrs. Field decided to have a Christmas party for
her two children and use as a theme a “Mikado Ball.” The
house was turned into a miniature Japanese village. The
supplies, linen, silver and food were all purchased in
New York and transported to Chicago in two private
railroad cars. The cost was $75,000.

On the night of the ball, Prairie Avenue was lit for
blocks around with special calcium lights. “A long line
of polished carriages drawn by meticulously groomed
horses began delivering the first of the five-hundred
invited guests at 6 p.m.” Everyone was dressed in
Japanese costume. The walls of every hall were obscured
behind satin and bamboo screens and expensive bronzes,
tapestries and porcelain had been purchased to carry out
the oriental motif.

“There were imported favors for every guest, Mrs. Field
having scored a social and diplomatic coup by persuading
the iconoclastic James McNeill Whistler to design the
favors.”

Fabulous Chicago, by Emmitt Dedmon

Scottish Charitable Home -1870

“The preliminary steps have now been taken to carry on
this enterprise, and from the flattering success already
attending the efforts of the Building Committee, it may
safely be said that this much needed and laudable under
taking will, at an earlier day than the projectors of it
contemplated, be completed. Only one subscription book
has been circulated, but others will be put in the hands
of the Committee as soon as practicable. It is desirable
that a site for the Home should be as central as
possible, and, with this end in view, the Committee have
commenced negotiations by which they hope, through the
liberality of a countryman, to secure, at reasonable
figures. The site selected is on the corner of
Washington and Desplaines Streets. The Committee,
however, are canvassing the district lying between Lake
and Van Buren Streets, and the river and Halsted Street,
and expect in May to be prepared to ask the Society to
ratify their purchase. The follow ing amounts have been
subscribed and are hereby acknowledged:”

“In
1904, during excavation for a subway where the Municipal
Building now stands in New York, a perfectly preserved
curling stone was found seventy feet beneath the street
level. Mystified construction workers, once they were
convinced that the stone was an implement in an old
Scottish game and not an Indian relic, resorted to an
old survey map and discovered that early in the
nineteenth century a pond existed on the site. Further
investigation proved that the pond was where the New
York Caledonian Curling Club was wont to hold its
bonspiels, as curing tournaments are called, and that
the club paid a city politician twenty dollars a year
for the use of it. The same politician also sold the
pond’s ice to an iceman for another twenty dollars,
which proved something a hazard to the sport.

Although this series of events may have had little or no
archaeological value, it at least established curling as
one of the earliest known organized sports in New York,
predating football, baseball, and even golf. What has
happened to curling since some luckless player lost his
stone through the municipally juggled ice on that lower
Manhattan pond is an interesting and only little-known
story.

Called ‘the roaring game,’ because of the ominous sound
the heavy stone makes as it glides over sheets of
natural ice, curling is an ancient Scottish game that
was first intro-duced to North America by Celtic fur
trappers and highland regiments who were stationed here
in colonial times. The frigid American winters were
ideally suited to the games its popularity rapidly
spread from Quebec out to the western province and from
Boston and New York to the wilds of Michigan. For well
over a hundred years, it was the most popular of all
American winter sports.”

The above information was sent by James McBain of McBain,
whose father, Hughston M. McBain, was primarily
responsible for curling in Chicago. The article “The
Roaring Game” was written by Hughston M. McBain,
Chairman of the Board of Marshall Field & Company and
first president of the Chicago Curling Club. Hughston M.
McBain was also President of the Illinois St. Andrew
Society from 1963 to 1965. We will tell his story at a
later date.

Mary Todd Lincoln

Robert
Smith Todd had two daughters, one named Mary and a
younger sister named Elizabeth. He had been a captain
the War of 1812, served in both houses of the Kentucky
legislature, and was president of the Bank of Kentucky
in Lexington. “The Todds traced back to Scottish
covenanters who fought the king” and among the
covenanters transported to the American colonies were
two Todds. They had fought with “Washington through the
American Revolution and with Daniel Boone in
Kentucky...” In Mary Todd “ran their vital and stubborn
blood.” Elizabeth, would become the wife of Ninian
Edwards, Governor of Illinois. Mary would become the
wife of Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States.

This issue takes us to the end of another year. We
sincerely appreciate your support and all the notes and
letters of encouragement. We received about $1500 in
contributions so far this year and that probably covers
the postage and cost of mailing. Since all subscriptions
are renewable the first of January, I hope that many of
you will send your ten dollars to help with our costs.

I recently had an opportunity to visit New York City and
attend a seminar on Scottish American history at
Columbia University. One of the speakers I especially
enjoyed was Tom Devine, who teaches at the
University of Aberdeen. He has just written a book
entitled The Scottish Nation A History 1700-2000. The chapters on
immigration are especially interesting. Perhaps we can
share some of this information with you in future
issues.

The
Scottish American Foundation, led by Allan Bain, had
a marvelous dinner where
Helen Liddell was the principal guest. She is the
Secretary of State in Tony Blair’s Cabinet and during
the evening gave a most impressive speech.
Stone Phillips of television fame was also present
and his story of finding his Scottish roots was most
interesting. We hope that he will visit Chicago some
time in the future and tell his story.

My family wishes you the best of the Holiday season and
a prosperous and safe new year.